Kathy Shayna Shocket has the inside scoop on the stories that make headlines. 

Kathy is "backstage" with the co-star of Bravo TV's "Flipping Out"

    I was thrilled to be able to be “back stage” with Jenni Pulos as she waited to greet her fans at the book signing at Changing Hands Book Store.

    Her triumph from victim to victor has been infectious. The costar of Bravo’s “Flipping Out” and "Interior Therapy" peeked around the corner to get a glimpse of the crowd and smiled. But after some rocky few years of her life, that smile wasn’t masking her heartbreaks anymore. In fact, let’s celebrate that she nabbed Chicago Dr. Jonathan Nassos!

Yes, the couple, married in a Bravo style luxurious wedding in Chicago, just welcomed their first baby into the world. Yet, Jenni’s journey to a fairytale marriage and Hollywood fame hasn’t been easy. When this struggling actress finally got a starring role on a major realty TV show, her sudden divorce, literally unfolded on national TV and later, “the DVD would be on sale at Target for the whole world to see,” she wants to add.

  Drama of course is good for reality TV and Jenni’s been a major part of the drama, for the show which just completed its seventh season. Although she’s a self admitted “me-aholic” there’s one thing Jenni has and it’s a work ethic. If you know her parents, which many people do, Michael and Alice Pulos who founded the Spaghetti Company in Phoenix, they were wonderful role models for working hard. Mike Pulos will tell you when Jenni worked in the restaurant, he treated her as any other employee, even firing her one day for being late. She went to work at the Cheesecake Factory and then left for California to try and become an actress. 

(Jenni rapping above at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe)

Jenni had been working  for Jeff Lewis, her demanding and charming interior designer boss, for many years prior to the show. And it was Jenni’s idea to create a sizzle reel and shop it for a reality show. Her book is part of that success and signing at Changling Hands Bookstore in Tempe. Co-owner of Changing Hands Cindy Dach says its exciting when they're able to welcome someone once local who is now an author, let alone a TV star on a major hit show. 

When the show became a hit, she admits, “Being at the top is harder." In her book, she talks candidly about how she navigated through the negativity in her life. And among the great first-hand advice she serves up is, “Bloom where you’re planted.“ It’s a great read in her appropriately titled book, “Grin and Bear it: How to be Happy no Matter what Reality Throws Your Way.”  

 Jenni’s way with words is an art and thats why she’s a successful rapper as well. 

You get the picture. The wonderful picture. Mazel to Bravo’s Andy Cohen for developing the show and Mazel to the happy Greek new family!

Kathy Shayna Shocket is a freelance writer and TV-field producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She's a former TV-Reporter who has also written for such publications as TIME Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine, Money Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times. You can reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it